Chevron refinery blast ‘a tragic accident’

The blast occurred at around 1820 hours on Thursday 2 June at the Chevron-owned Pembroke refinery in south west Wales.

“We are not currently in a position to release the names of the victims as they have not yet been formally identified – and this process may take some time,” Chief Superintendent Dean Richards of Pembrokeshire Police told reporters.

In a statement today, a spokesperson for the US Chevron Corporation told reporters: “Chevron is hugely saddened by the death of four of its contractor colleagues in yesterday’s incident, and our thoughts go out to their families at this very difficult time.

“We have one contractor colleague still in hospital this morning, where he is still receiving treatment.”

The welfare of our employees and the safe operation of this refinery continues to be our key priority. Chevron spokesperson

She continued: “We’ve immediately launched our own investigation, which will run in tandem with the NSE’s own investigation, which is a standard procedure.

“One storage tank is out of action and another is damaged, but other than that the plant remains fully operational.

“However, given the circumstances, non-essential work has been suspended today. The welfare of our employees and the safe operation of this refinery continues to be our key priority.

“Tank maintenance is a regular occurrence, and this was planned work involving members of our contractor workforce, routine work which had been carried out before.

“The tank contained a component which refiners routinely use in the refining process.”

This news is utterly devastating. The loss of our co-workers has come as a huge shock. Greg Hanggi, Pembroke Dock general manager

Earlier, the general manager of the Pembroke Dock site, Greg Hanggi, said: “This news is utterly devastating. The loss of our co-workers has come as a huge shock to us all… We will ensure that all employees and contractors are fully supported throughout this difficult time.”

Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones said: “I am shocked to learn of the accident at the Chevron refinery in Pembroke.”

The Chevron-owned site, formerly known as Texaco, is one of the biggest oil refineries in Europe, employing 1,400 people and capable of refining 220,000 barrels of crude oil a day.

It was sold earlier in 2011 to Texan firm Valero, along with forecourt sites across the UK and Ireland, for $1.73bn (£1.07bn). The refinery has not yet changed hands to its new owner.